The Pinpoint Serve
The Pinpoint technique is used among many male and female players. This technique is harder to learn since it is harder balance on such a small area. The serve consists of the following parts: Part 1: Preparation The first part of the serve is the preparation. Here, you stand sideways with your feet about shoulder width apart. During this part, the player takes time to focus. This means that there is not much movement during this part. This wider stance provides a wider base for the player, which gives them more stability and more equilibrium. The closer the center of gravity is to the ground, the more stable the person is. By standing in a wider stance, the player lowers their center of gravity (just below the navel). Very few players start with their feet together. The reason for this is because the preparation stage is meant for mentally focusing on the point that is about to be played out. Starting with your feet together can be a distraction because you have to focus so that you don't lose you're equilibrium. Part 2: Loading During this part, the player loads as they toss the ball and swing the racquet back while they bring their back foot toward the front foot. This is the trophy position. At this point the player bends their knees and rotates their hips almost as if they were coiling up like a spring. Keep in mind that this is all one fluid motion, and it happens simultaneously with the toss of the ball. The majority of the power comes from the legs. To produce this power, the player has to push of the ground. The power of the serve largely depends on how hard the player pushes off of the ground. The strength with which they push down on the ground is the strength with which the ground will push up because every there is an equal and opposite in direction force. This force is the force with which the player contacts the ball. There is a transfer of kinetic energy from the feet, where the force is produces, to the tennis ball, where the force is directed (de Subijana). By standing with their feet together, the player is able to bend lower so that they can push off higher and meet the ball with a larger velocity, and therefore with a larger force. The arm motion: The player swings their arm back mainly to get it into the right position. Contrary to what it looks like, the player doesn’t swing the arm back to gain momentum so that they have more power. Although the arm does produce some power, there is a moment during the loading position where the arm pauses momentarily which eliminates any momentum that could have been acquired before. The power that does come from one arm isn’t nearly as large as the power that comes from both legs. Part 3: Contact Once the player loads, they bring their racquet forward so that it makes contact with the ball. Usually, at this point the player has just pushed off the ground, so their legs are extended and a large part of the energy has been transferred to the racquet. Most of the time, the player isn’t touching the ground when they make contact with the ball (as shown below). During contact, the player has to make sure that their racquet comes into contact at the correct angle so that they can not only guide the ball in the right direction, but also produce the correct kind of spin on the ball. The types of spin: The different kinds of serves are names after the type of spin that is put on the ball. The three kinds of serves are slice, kick or topspin, and flat. By applying the force at an angle, they create a torque that causes the ball to spin which produces angular momentum that increases the force of acceleration (Bahamonde). When hitting a slice serve, the racquet must come in contact with the ball at a slight angle, and not head on. When they hit the ball they “brush” the ball from left to right (as shown). Most players also toss the ball more towards the right so that their racquet can have more contact time with the right side of the ball. A kick serve is where the racquet makes contact with the bottom of the ball, and then brushes up to make the ball spin towards the opponent. Most players will toss the ball more to their left so that the ball is right above of slightly behind their head. A flat serve is where they hit the ball straight on with very little, to no spin at all. Most player will toss the ball in front and to the right of them. Although it is helpful to modify your in each kind of serve, many players, especially the professions, avoid doing it. The reason many player avoid this is because as you reach a higher level of tennis, many good players are able to notice the change in the toss and can therefore anticipate the type of serve that the server will hit (Reid). Part 4: Follow Through The follow through is the final moments during which the racquet is still in contact with the ball. The force from the legs and the arm gives the body a forward motion. In order to have hit the ball in the right direction, their body must have had moved in that direction as well. Even though they are no longer in contact with the ball, their body is still in motion. The follow through is where the body is forced to follow the direction of motion of the ball. Players usually land on their front foot first, and then they recover back to the ready position.